Xaa Safaris

Perfect service and management on the steps of booking; nothing to see and to do on place.

I booked 3-day-2-night mokoro trip, and it was the most expensive and the most disappointing part of my 16-day-travel. To start from good, the manager, Nobantu, was nice and helpful, she replied to my emails fast and for details. Also, the camp was designed in a wise and nice manner: every tent is spacious and equipped with en-suite portable shower, bio-lavatory, bed, and blanket. The food was good, and the cook did his best to please us. But this is where good points end.

On the first day, we were sailing on a motorboat for about one hour and then on a mokoro, the little canoes, for about three hours. Under the baking sun. But all of that would be fine enough if we could see at least something except a couple of birds...

Then we came to the camp and spent the afternoon doing nothing. After we had a 'Nature walk' seeing a lot of excrements of different animals and some insects. The local guides could tell 3-4 sentences as maximum about each species, and we were lucky to have a professor of zoology in our group. From him, we received 90% of information about the Delta and its wildlife.

During the night, in the camp (or village, I don't know) that was not far from us they had a kind of party till 3-4 AM and they make such a bad noise, that if I would have been an animal I would run away as far as I could.

Next day we had a 'safari walk' on another island, where we saw a herd of zebras and a heard of antelopes. It was early in the morning and from 10 AM to 4 PM we were just sitting in the camp. We were not allowed to walk around because of the 'dangerous wildlife'. I walked a bit at my own risk and saw heaps of rubbish and plastic. Probably that was why it is not allowed to walk around because there is simply NO wildlife in this area, I didn't see there even one simple impala. And I don't think that any wildlife will come there if they won't stop night orgies and pollution.

Coming back I found that my bio-toilet is not working. I asked the staff to do something.

In the evening, we had a mokoro cruise to the lake with the hippos. They were far away to make good photos, but at least we've seen something - I thought. But at that moment people from this camp/village came on their mokoros shouting so loudly that my group mates started to worry about our lives since hippos are not so tolerated to that crazy sounds as people are.

When I came back to my tent I found my toilet clean, but it was still not working.

Next day after the breakfast we just went back to Maun, without any morning activity.

Honestly, I was expected from Okavango Delta much more. Before that safari, I went to Chobe National Park, for the 3-days-2-nights tour, too. But there we had two safaris every day and just a couple of hours to rest, the staff was experienced and did their best to make us see as much as possible, and we've seen a great number of different animals. In comparison with that, this trip was just for wasting time and money. For this amount, I'd better book a flight and I'm sure I would be impressed much more.